It even claims to enable people to burn 310 calories while sitting at their desk, reports the Daily Express.

The drug, priced at 29.99 pounds, has racked up advance online orders of 30,000 in the UK and since its launch in the US in October, has sold over 100,000 units.

"There currently aren't any over-the-counter products on the market in the UK that will aid and sustain such considerable weight loss as Meratol," said Dr Katie Long, a general practitioner in Glasgow.

"I would only recommend a ­natural weight loss aid like Meratol as it offers the immediate weight loss needed to kick-start a January detox with no ill side effects or intrusions into your daily lifestyle," she added.

Meratol makers claim it cuts food cravings too. It contains cactus extract brown seaweed extract, which has a high content of original marine polyphenols, prickly pear extract, which has antioxidant and diuretic properties, minerals and trace elements.

"The UK launch coincides with the festive season as this is when the nation puts on the most amount of weight," said a spokesman for Meratol. (ANI)